The playbill writer paul thomason made an interesting point about bellini-he died just shy of his 34th birthday-look at what he had done by then-3 masterpieces-sonnambula, norma and puritani. If wagner had died at 34 he would have only gotten to tannhauser, from puccini only le villi and edgar, from verdi only nabucco, ernani and lombardi, from strauss only guntram! Len

If you want to play that game, consider that Mozart died at 35 and Schubert at 31. Their potential for unimagined advances in their own art and the art of music was far greater than Bellini's!

Yes you're right to mention these greats-still if bellini continued at the rate he was going he'd rank right up there with the other great opera composers-also rossini too is in there on operas with mozart-they did a lot of work early. Thing is no one underrates mozart or schubert or rossini-bellini deserves more respect! Under the game wonder where donizetti fits in here-can't do the research that well without my PC here in secaucus, NJ. Len

Yes you're right to mention these greats-still if bellini continued at the rate he was going he'd rank right up there with the other great opera composers-also rossini too is in there on operas with mozart-they did a lot of work early. Thing is no one underrates mozart or schubert or rossini-bellini deserves more respect!

I don't see that Bellini showed any promise of developing further, as Donizetti and even Rossini certainly did. He might have produced more operas of the kind you like, no doubt he would have, but would he have produced any operas of the kind I like? His conservatory education provided him with the technique for it, but in his 8-year career he didn't use it. Why, then, do you believe he "deserves more respect"? I'd say he gets at least as much as he deserves.

Funny that yesterday as bellini and I sat by the south street seaport looking at brooklyn your name came up-he was surprised and delighted you had moved out there because he didn`t want you close to where his masterpieces are often performed-then I gave him the bad news about your volunteer work! Len on the run

Exactly what he said-an ingrate like John F is so close to the action and a poor guy like me who adores him is out there in the wilderness. I wonder what other composers bellini knew of and what operas he actually heard. Len

Thanks just back from NYC to secaucus-a pleasure to read about bellini, donizetti and rossini-btw it's definitely time for someone to do a meracadante opera somewhere here in nyc-I've heard some of his operas-he's good! Len

Len, I enjoyed the pictures you've posted. That ferry boat looks awfully close to the water line, though!!

Belle thanks-today we visited the east river from the brooklyn side-DUMBO-down under the manhattan bridge overpass--talk about getting close to the water line-we could have just walked right into the river-it's an up and coming area-we took the ferry back across the river to pier 11-first time experience-also learned and used a free bus called the downtown connection-very useful! DUMBO offers great views of the Manhattan skyline. Len

What's that little bay there, with the rocks on the shore line? How far did the water rise during Sandy? Put yourself and Sue into the next picture!! Loved also the photo of the skyscrapers from your first three!!

A friend has just returned from NYC - she went to see a show, but it was a musical and I forget which. But it was an organized tour and a complete whirl, so she missed an awful lot of the city. No operas for her - but that's OK because she's a lovely woman who loves Carlos Kleiber now (since my program on him). Incidentally, Kleiber went to school for a year in Brooklyn in 1947.

Belle that bay is the shore of the east river. As for photos of us I've never taken a selfie-I guess I could learn? Len

Don't do that Len. There's something irresistible about being one of the 15 people on the planet who don't do selfies. My wife and I are also two of them. Get a passer-by to take it. You can probably trust some New Yorkers not to run off with your phone! Ask a nonagenerian.

Belle that bay is the shore of the east river. As for photos of us I've never taken a selfie-I guess I could learn? Len

Don't do that Len. There's something irresistible about being one of the 15 people on the planet who don't do selfies. My wife and I are also two of them. Get a passer-by to take it. You can probably trust some New Yorkers not to run off with your phone! Ask a nonagenerian.

Barney thanks-only person I`d let have my new smartphone is Sue-I carry a camera as well and I`d let a waiter take a photo with it-I think when we had the forum dinner when you were in I did that-we'll have to check when I get back home-we're still in Secaucus.

I've been looking on Google maps for those places you mention. The clarity of the satellite images is amazing and I can see that beach you took the photograph of earlier. I didn't realize New Jersey was actually adjacent to NYC, or so very close to it. I see the dividing line actually runs right through the Hudson River. We're not brave enough to face NYC these days: my sisters tell me the hugely long city blocks, with no apparent easy access to toilets and nowhere to stop and rest, are a huge deterrent!!

We're not brave enough to face NYC these days: my sisters tell me the hugely long city blocks, with no apparent easy access to toilets and nowhere to stop and rest, are a huge deterrent!!

Belle we use a lot of the department stores for restrooms and many of the interesting places have restrooms that are decent-there are quite a few places to stop and rest in parks --many benches along the rivers and in Central Park-it can be doable depending on how much walking one can do--down by the World Trade Center there are plenty of places to rest for a while. Still the city can be a dynamic exhausting hectic place--oh and expensive. Still to get around many tourists use the hop-on hop-off tour buses. As for the blocks north to south are short-east to west are longer. Give us a try! Regards, Len

Yes, Belle, NYC is actually very hospitable, safe and easy to navigate above 14th Street. Taxis are everywhere if your feet get tired (we all wear sneakers for walking on concrete). Also the food in restaurants is excellent generally due to massive competition: a dinner for two away from the Central Park tourist area can be had for $125 with wine, cheaper without.

Do give us a try. The MET is advertising $25 tickets constantly in the NY Times website, and I'm sure that JohnF knows of more bargains.

Also, if you do decide to come, let us know - quite a few of us would be happy to show you around.

How very kind; thank you so much. My husband has been pressing me to go to Canada and do that cruise to Alaska (seasickness was a huge issue in 2015 in the North Sea, so I'm wary) but perhaps I could leverage some benefits such as a diversion via NYC!! Fitness and number 3 son's wedding first!

I went to New York for the first time in April last year, and had absolutely the time of my life. Including very generous hospitality from Maestrob (thanks again, Brian and Teresa) and a lovely lunch with many of the CMG members and catching up with JohnF at the library. I walked and walked, and never found toilets hard to find. It now seems a very safe city - I actually stayed in New Jersey, right on the boulevard with the view of the New York skyline, which meant constant buses from the Port Authority, often at or after midnight (I went to an opera or concert every single night). I deeply endorse the recommendation of our New York confreres.

Thanks for the great tips about NYC. I do remember you writing here on CMG that you were planning to be there but I got busy and drifted away from here and didn't read any follow-up. I met 2 people from other boards when I twice went to Vienna; one was a disappointment (but kind, nevertheless) and soon forgotten (she never had anything much of interest to say about music anyway), and the other an Associate Professor of Musicology/harpsichordist from a university near Washington DC which I don't want to mention. She was very interesting and intelligent and we had lunch in Vienna but she was keen to preserve her anonymity so I never discussed this publicly on the board in question - which is now defunct anyway. It would be very good to meet up with the regulars on CMG should I make it to NYC. I'm sure there would be conviviality and great eats and conversation!!

We music-lovers are like iron filings to a magnet, drawn to our own kind. Some of the people in our community music group are very appreciative of finding "our own people" and come from disparate backgrounds. Better late than never, I suppose.